Papula-Nevinpat is pleased to continue as the ESA BIC Finland program’s intellectual property rights (IPR) partner. ESA BIC Finland, managed by the Aalto University Startup Center, is Finland’s European Space Agency’s business incubator, dedicated to supporting space-related startups during their early stages.
Programs like the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) are crucial for promoting innovation. These centers offer funding, technical support, and connections to a network of space experts and investors, helping startups in the space sector to scale effectively.
- Markku Simmelvuo, CEO of Papula-Nevinpat, emphasizes: “At Papula-Nevinpat, we aim to assist these startups in safeguarding their intellectual property rights from the beginning.”
- “Our space tech startups are selected in the program because of their innovative solutions and products. Partners like Papula-Nevinpat are extremely valuable in protecting the innovations,” says ESA BIC Finland’s manager, Kaisa Ahonen.
ESA BIC Finland hosts two annual application rounds for early-stage startups looking to join its program. To be eligible, businesses must be space-related, under five years old, and located in Finland. The Aalto Startup Center in Otaniemi, Espoo, oversees the operations of ESA BIC Finland. The University of Vaasa is also a partner, and collaboration with cities occurs in Tampere and Turku, in addition to Helsinki and Espoo.
Companies that complete the application process will receive extensive support from the incubator. This support includes business financing, communication assistance, marketing strategies, team-building coaching, and technical help from partner companies. Participants will also join the international community of the Aalto Startup Center, along with its Finnish partners and ESA BIC. ESA and Business Finland will jointly fund the selected startups in the program, providing up to EUR 90,000 over the year-long initiative.
The new application period for the ESA BIC program has started and will run until February 23, 2025. For the first time, applicants must consider sustainability in their plans.
Previous companies that have participated in the program include Solar Foods, which developed a solution for food production in space and Mars-like conditions; Kuva Space, which provides hyperspectral satellite services; and Collective Crunch, which applies artificial intelligence and remote sensing to forestry.
Finland has been involved in the ESA program since 1987 and became an official member state in 1995. The 20-year-old ESA BIC network has 32 centers in 22 ESA member countries and has helped over 1800 startups leverage their space connection. Read more HERE.